Winter
by angelsinstead
Summary: A Search for Tomorrow FanFiction- Warren and Wendy have plans to make a new life with baby Jonah, Warren's son, but Suzi stands in their way.
1. The Daring Escape

_Chapter One  
_

~*~The Daring Escape~*~

She made a mad dash down the highway despite the freezing, icy-cold temperatures. About an hour earlier, the man she loved had placed a note in the kitchen that she had found.

It had read:

 _Wendy,_

 _I have Jonah. Suzi won't take him from us - not ever again. We'll be a family, - just you, me, and Jonah. No one will ever find us. Hurry to meet us in our special place. I love you and I can't wait to see you!_

 _Warren  
_

All their dreams were soon to come true, but even so, Wendy felt a deep sense of unease. They had been planning this daring move for weeks, but something told her it would not go off without a hitch. What if Suzi found them? What if she tried to take the baby back? Would they lose Jonah forever? Would Warren have to go back to his prison cell?

As anxiety set in, Wendy tried her best to watch the road. She knew all too well the tragedy a traffic accident could cause, but it had been raining _that_ night - the one when she had miscarried Warren's baby. They had lost so much on that awful night, but one good thing had came to her after all of the sorrow. Warren had divorced Suzi and he had married Wendy, the woman he loved. They both grieved deeply for the unborn son whom they had given the name of Warren Carter Junior.

It soon came to light that Suzi was also pregnant with Warren's child. Since she despised Warren for cheating on her during their marriage, divorcing her, and marrying her ex-best friend, Suzi refused to let Warren spend any time with his son. Realizing that Suzi would never allow him to see Jonah, Warren became desperate. His longing to see Jonah led to him kidnapping the infant. Warren was apprehended by the police and baby Jonah was returned to his mother. When Jonah was a few months old, Warren was sent to prison for the crime of kidnapping his own child. He had no legal rights to Jonah, considering Suzi had put her new husband Cagney McCleary's name on the baby's birth certificate.

After Warren was out of the picture, Suzi and Wendy tried to mend their troubled friendship. It wasn't easy, but in time, they grew close again. Feeling sad for Wendy after the loss of her child, Suzi agreed to allow Wendy to babysit Jonah every now and then. Holding Jonah in her arms, Wendy couldn't help but get teary-eyed. She missed Warren greatly, so holding his son against her chest was such a precious miracle. If only _her_ baby had also lived, then maybe she wouldn't feel so terribly alone.

It wasn't long after Suzi and Wendy's reconciliation that Warren faked an illness and managed to escape from prison. He came back to Wendy, his beautiful wife and his adorable little son, Jonah. Wendy was ecstatic to see Warren. Finally, the man she loved was back in her arms where he belonged. Together, they planned to escape with Jonah to their secret location, their hidden little love-nest which was located high up in the mountains. The cozy cabin made of sturdy logs would keep them warm and snug until they figured out what to do and where they would go.

But things would NOT be going as planned. Suzi was aware that Warren had taken Jonah. She followed after him in her car, a loaded pistol setting next to her on the seat.

She didn't want to kill the father of her child, but she would if he gave her no other choice. Warren had already taken Jonah once, then he had escaped prison, only to do it _again_! Suzi McCleary was ready for a show-down with the devil, her ex-husband, Warren Carter.


	2. The Cabin

_Chapter Two  
_

~*~The Cabin~*~

Warren had arrived at the cabin with little Jonah. He removed the adorable baby-blue fuzzy coat that Wendy had purchased for the child, then he proceeded to make a bottle of formula to feed his son. As he cradled Jonah, he told him how much he loved him and how the three of them would have a wonderful life together - "Just you, me, and your new Mommy," Warren said.

He stroked little Jonah's dark hair, so much like his own while he stared down into the child's beautiful dark-brown eyes. He immediately thought of another baby - the one that he and Wendy had lost. He swore he would never again lose another child. The grieving hurt him far too much. Both times he had taken Jonah, it had been out of desperation. What other choice _did_ have? Leave Wendy and his remaining child and return to prison? He just couldn't go back there again, to his solitary cell. He'd rather die!

"It's going to be alright, Jonah. Your new mommy will be here soon with the plane tickets and our fake passports. We'll make a new life together somewhere else - far, far away from Henderson and everyone who hates me," Warren crooned as the baby fell asleep.

Holding Jonah gently, Warren placed the baby into the playpen. He stared down at him, marveling at his tiny, but perfect features. A single tear rolled from his eye when he thought of another baby, the child he had created with Wendy. He too would have been a perfect child if only he had a chance at living. Baby Warren had left them far too soon.

It was a little bit chilly in the cabin, so Warren placed another log upon the fire. He looked down at his watch as he paced the length of the cabin. "Where are you, Wendy?" he said in a low growl. He had a bad feeling in his gut as if something was amiss. He hoped that Wendy hadn't wrecked the car or gotten lost out on the icy roads. The road up the mountain could be extremely treacherous. Knowing a car accident was how their son had died, Warren couldn't help but feel pangs of worry.

"Wendy, I _need_ you. Get here quick," he said aloud as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

A little whimper came from the playpen so Warren quietly walked over to check on Jonah. He was bending over the playpen to comfort his son when _she_ barged in.

Sucking in his breath, Warren turned around to see Suzi. She was holding a gun. It wasn't Wendy whom he had been hoping to see. It was his ex who hated him to the deepest, darkest recesses of his inner being.

"Warren, you step away from that playpen! Give me Jonah NOW!" Suzi insisted.

"What are you gonna do if I won't? Shoot me?" Warren asked with a laugh.

Suzi surely didn't have it in her to pull the trigger. Warren didn't believe for a second that she would shoot. She might miss him and accidently shoot Jonah.

"Give me MY baby now!"

"He's my baby, too... and you wouldn't let me see him. You had me thrown into prison for kidnapping my OWN child! How could you do that, Suzi? He's my son and I love him!"

"You can't love anyone, Warren. You're the devil. I won't let you harm _my_ baby. Give me Jonah or I'll have to... I'll have to..."

"You'll have to what?"

"Shoot you," Suzi warned in a low hiss.


	3. The Cabin II

_Chapter Three_

~*~The Cabin Part 2~*~

"You can't shoot me, Suzi, cuz if you do, you'll go to prison, just like I had to when I took Jonah. You don't want to go to prison, do you?" Warren said as he stealthily walked closer, hoping to take the gun from Suzi before anyone could get hurt.

Suzi was backed up against the side of the bed as Warren moved toward her, inch by inch. She felt cornered. In her eyes, Warren Carter was the _devil_. "Take one more step and I'll shoot!" she threatened loudly.

She didn't hear the car pull up in the driveway. All she could hear was the blood as it pounded painfully within her ears. She felt like her brain was about to explode. She was at the end of her rope. She couldn't take it if Warren made off with HER son again. She and Cagney had been raising Jonah! He was HERS- _her_ baby boy!

Warren wasn't listening to Suzi. He never thought she would actually shoot him. He reached out quickly to grab the gun, but due to their proximity, when she pulled the trigger, he was struck point-blank in the chest. Blood immediately poured from his huge gaping wound as Warren fell backward, onto the braided rug.

When the gun went off, Wendy burst through the door, screaming when she saw that Warren had been injured. She rushed to him, pulling his head into her lap. "Warren! Ohhh no! Ohhh God... _NOOO_!" she wailed.

Baby Jonah howled from the playpen, having heard the gun go off and Wendy's shrill cries of agony. Suzi was pale, the smoking gun yet in her hand as Wendy glared at her accusingly. "You SHOT him!" Wendy yelled.

Suzi was motionless as she had gone into shock. She couldn't see or hear anything as Wendy weeped over her wounded and bleeding husband. "She... she shot me. Suzi shot me," Warren said in a whimper.

"Ohhh Warren, please, _don't_ talk," Wendy said as she pressed her hand against his injury, trying to hold the blood inside as it was pouring out. It was hot and thick against the smooth flesh of her hand.

"Shhh... try to keep your strength up," Wendy crooned to her husband as Warren's usual bronze complexion had turned swiftly to a pasty-white. He was fading away right before her eyes.

"I only wanted to see my son," Warren said softly. "I only wanted to spend some time with Jonah. I love him _so much_."

"I know. I know. Don't talk."

"Promise- promise me... " he pleaded.

"NO!" Wendy insisted as she refused to LET him die.

"No, Wendy, you _have_ to promise. Promise me you'll take care of Jonah... Don't let Suzi have him. I want it to be _you_. I want you to raise my son."

"I promise. _I promise_!" Wendy stated as tears flowed from her eyes. Her tears mingled with the ones on Warren's cheeks as he knew he didn't have much time left. Each breath was labored as he attempted to speak to Wendy, the woman he loved.

Wendy was trying to hold back the torrent of blood which flowed from Warren's wound, but she could not. She was soon soaked in her husband's blood, just as she had been saturated in a flood of crimson the night she lost her child, her precious baby boy; Warren Carter's son.

"Please don't leave me, Warren. I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll always love you."

Those were Warren's final words. When Wendy realized he was gone and his eyes had gone forever closed, she let out a gut-wrenching scream. It echoed through the cabin and all across the mountain.

Baby Jonah was also crying as Wendy cradled Warren close, rocking him to and fro in her loving arms. It couldn't be true, _could it_? _Was Warren Carter really gone_?!


	4. Mourning

**Chapter Four**

~*~Mourning~*~

Wendy stood beside the casket as the minister spoke a few words and just a few minutes passed before it was lowered into the crowd. No one at the funeral shed any tears, except her and Kristin. No one else knew the REAL Warren. They all thought he was some sort of blood-thirsty, baby-stealing monster, but Wendy knew the truth. Her ears were still burning due to the horrible things that had been said about Warren when it was discovered he had taken Jonah to the cabin and Suzie had followed him. They blamed Warren because Suzie had shot him.

Suzie had been taken into custody and little Jonah ended up with Suzie's Aunt Jo. Wendy didn't even get to keep her promise to Warren to raise Jonah as Jo was Suzie's next of kin. They all thought Wendy had been helping Warren with his crimes, therefore, no one would let her even see Warren's son. Her own mother had turned her back on her daughter in favor of Suzie.

 _"SHE killed my husband!" Wendy screamed at the police station, her clothes still soaked in Warren's blood. "She's a murderer!"_

 _"Wendy, calm down," Stephanie insisted. "All of this was Warren's fault, not Suzie's. He broke out of jail and took Jonah from his mother. He was trying to kidnap him. Suzie HAD to protect her baby."_

 _"You always hated Warren, Mother. Don't you dare take her side. Don't you dare! She took Warren away from me...and I LOVED him!" Wendy exclaimed._

 _"Just count your lucky stars that you're not going to jail, too," Suzie said in a soft retort. "I know you were helping that- that criminal."_

 _"Lock her up!" Wendy screamed at the guards. "She killed my husband! She killed Warren!"_

 _Wendy became inconsolable as she fell into Brian's arms. She cried and cried until she almost collapsed. Brian was worried about her so he took her home. She had to go back to an empty apartment without Warren. Her husband was gone now and he wasn't coming back. The pain of it was killing her._

 _She stared down at the bloodstains on her clothing, proof of Warren's death. "Suzie took my husband. THIS is what she did to him!" Wendy sobbed as she curled up in a ball on the floor and sobbed._

 _First her baby had been taken... and then Warren. What in the world did she have left to live for? How could she live in a world without Warren when she'd couldn't even see Jonah again? Jonah was a tiny miniature of his father with the cutest little grin. She'd never see Warren's son again._

 _Life was just not fair._

After the funeral, Wendy tried to go on with her life, but most of the time, she was just going through the motions, somewhat in a daze. She couldn't think clearly in her grief. She was aching from losing Warren, but more than anything, she wanted revenge on Suzie. She wanted to make Suzie suffer because she was the one who had taken her beloved Warren away.

She showed up at work, much to everyone's shock. After all, her husband had just died. "Are you sure you want to go on the air today, ?" she was asked by one of the crewmen. "Everyone understands if you need a little more time."

"Damn right I want to go on the air. I have something important to say," Wendy said as she seated herself. She set down in front of the microphone as they were preparing to go on live T.V. Moments later, the broadcast started.

"Hello, this is Wendy Carter for Channel 8 news," she said loud and clear.

In the control room, Stephanie stared at the screen, seeing her daughter speaking on live television. "Wendy?" she said in a gasp. No one expected Wendy to return to work so soon. Wendy had started out with a desk job at the station owned by Stephanie. She had been working her way up, but she was in no way ready to speak in front of a camera. What in the world was her daughter DOING?

"As you all know, Warren Carter, my dear husband was shot down in cold blood a week ago today by his ex-wife, Suzie McCleary. Because of _that woman_ , my husband is dead," Wendy spoke into the microphone.

"Ohh my God!" Stephanie cried out. "Get her off the air!"

"Right on it, boss," said Stephanie's assistant.

"Warren wasn't a perfect man. He had his faults as we all do, but he didn't deserve to die that way... in front of his little boy," Wendy continued. "Suzie deserves to rot in prison for what she..."

Suddenly there was a struggle as Wendy was dragged away and taken to her mother. "What in the world has gotten into you?! Saying all that on live TV! You're going to have us shut down and taken off the air!" Stephanie said angrily.

"I don't care, Mother! Everything I said - it's the truth! Warren's dead because of Suzie. I lost my baby. I lost _my husband_. That bitch took him from me!"

"Wendy, calm down at once. I don't want to have my own daughter arrested.'

"Why not?! Put me in a cell with Suzie. Let's see how long she lasts!" Wendy hissed.

"Go home, Wendy...and don't come back," Stephanie said sternly, greatly embarrassed by her daughter's outburst. "You made a fool out of me when you married Warren Carter. I won't let you do it a moment longer."

"You're the fool... _for believing Suzie's lies_!" Wendy responded before left the station.

"Take this job and SHOVE it!" she yelled as she stepped outside. "Who needs it anyway! Everything has gone to hell."

And to Wendy... it had.


	5. Winter

**Chapter Five**

~*~Winter~*~

The snow continued to fall outside, cold and bitter as if it were mocking Wendy. The days passed and she barely moved. She lay on the couch, hardly eating. She mourned for Warren, she mourned for their son, and all they'd never have together. Gradually her desire to get revenge on Suzi lessened. She just didn't care anymore; about anything.

"Sis, I am really worried about you," Brian said when he and Kristin came to check on her. "You don't look well."

"Warren's dead," Wendy said flatly.

"Yes, I know, honey... but you're still alive," Kristin said as she gently held Wendy's hand. "And you have to figure out a way to live without him."

Wendy glared at Kristin. "Why don't you go away? Leave me alone. Everyone in Henderson hated Warren. They all got what they wanted. The man I love is _dead_."

"Not everyone hated Warren," Kristin reminded. "He was my brother... and I loved him."

"Wendy, he was going to kidnap Jonah. What kind of life would you have had... living on the run? Would you have been happy?" Brian asked.

"Of course I would have been happy! I LOVED Warren!" she exclaimed. "Now **GET OUT**!"

Brian groaned in frustration. "I gotta go. You stay and talk to her," he said softly to Kristin. "She can't keep living like this."

Kristin nodded. Brian gave his wife a tender kiss, then he was gone. Wendy didn't blink. It was as if she didn't even notice that her brother had walked out the door.

"Wendy, you've lost a lot of weight. I know you haven't been eating," Kristin said gently. "Warren wouldn't want you to waste away like this... wallowing in your sorrows."

"What do you know?!" Wendy exploded, sitting up suddenly on the couch. In that moment a great wave of dizziness hit her and she ran promptly into the bathroom to throw up. Kristin followed, watching as Wendy retched.

"Ohhh God, I feel so sick," Wendy moaned. "I can't keep anything down... not even water..."

"Wait... Wendy, how long have you been feeling this way?"

"I don't know," Wendy said as she rinsed her mouth in the sink. She damped a washcloth and pressed it against her dry, cracked lips. "I have been feeling horrible - absolutely awful ever since - since Warren died."

"Could you be pregnant?" Kristin asked. "Have you had your period?"

Wendy shook her head. "I don't remember. Each day just blends into another. I don't want to go on without Warren."

Kristin placed her hands on Wendy's slender shoulders as she stared into Wendy's eyes. "Wendy, listen to me. You might be pregnant with Warren's baby. You might be carrying a part of him RIGHT NOW."

"That... that _can't_ be possible. I lost my baby. I can't be pregnant again," Wendy said as her eyes filled up with tears.

"Honey, you need to go lie down. You look like your going to pass out," Kristin said as she lead Wendy out of the bathroom and helped her into bed. "You just rest here awhile. I am going to the pharmacy."

"Why... why are you going to the pharmacy?" Wendy asked, sounding greatly confused.

"To get a pregnancy test."

"I can't be pregnant," Wendy repeated again.

Kristin left and Wendy closed her eyes. She dozed off and when she awakened again, she saw Kristin at her bedside, holding a small rectangular box. "I have the test," Kristin said triumphantly.

Wendy groaned. "I don't feel well. Just let me sleep," she begged.

"Not until you go into the bathroom and you pee on this little stick," Kristin insisted as she withdrew the pregnancy test from its container.

"Ohhh alright!" Wendy said in a growl as she grabbed the thin white plastic stick in reluctance and headed off toward the bathroom.

A minute later, Wendy came out, looking pale and disoriented. "Did you do the test?" Kristin asked.

Wendy trembled. "I can't look," she said softly.

"Alright. I will look. Wait here," Kristin said as she helped Wendy sit down on the edge of the bed.

Wendy stopped breathing as she waited for Kristin's return, fearing the answer. Pregnant? Again? With Warren's baby?

She thought of her other baby - Warren Carter Junior. He had been so tiny - so still. She only got to see him for a few seconds, then they took him away. He had only drawn a single breath, then he was gone. **Her baby was gone**!

She and Warren had shed many tears that fateful day. Warren's tears wet her cheek as they held each other. Wendy had never seen him cry before. Their baby had died, but it made their love stronger. Warren decided he couldn't be with Suzie anymore - he decided to divorce his wife and marry Wendy. She should have been the happiest woman in the world knowing she was going to marry Warren Carter, the only man she had ever truly loved, but she couldn't stop weeping because her baby was gone.

"Wendy," said Kristin when she came out of the bathroom, holding the little white stick.

"What does it say?"

"You're pregnant. You're having a baby. Warren's baby."

Warren was gone, but there was hope again. Another baby. A new beginning. Wendy didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. "Ohhh Kristin," she said as she reached out for Warren's sister.

Kristin wrapped her arms around Wendy. "Warren wanted a baby so much," Wendy said. "That's all he really wanted. Me and our baby..."

"I know. That's why he did crazy things, like take off with Jonah."

Wendy nodded. "He wanted to be happy. That's all we wanted... a family."

"We are a family. Me, you, Brian and this baby. The baby is a part of Warren. You may have lost him, but you have his child. Wendy, you have to take care of yourself. You're having a baby."

"A baby," Wendy said as it finally sunk in. "I'm having a baby."

She placed her hand over her super-flat stomach, imagining Warren's child growing inside her. "Ohhh no, I can't lose my baby again," she said sorrowfully.

"That's why you need to take care of yourself... start eating right... and go to the doctor."

"Will you go with me?"

"Of course."

"Thank you, Kristin," Wendy said as she gave her sister-in-law another hug.

~*~o~*~

Weeks passed and the seasons changed. Stephanie had no other choice but to deal with the fact that her daughter was carrying Warren Carter's offspring. Suzi did her time in prison and Jonah stayed with Suzi's Aunt Jo. Kristin and Brian looked after Wendy. They were both caring and supportive and somehow Wendy made it through those long months. She felt empty without Warren, but she was bursting inside with new life. This time she didn't lose the baby.

Wendy went into labor exactly two years from the day of the loss of her son, Warren Carter Junior. Kristin acted as her labor coach as Brian paced the hallway, worried about his little sister.

"Damn! Why is this taking so long?" Wendy moaned. "I feel like I am going to split open... like a peach."

"You can do this, Wendy. I have faith in you. You have two angels watching over you, my brother Warren Carter and your son, baby Warren," Kristin reminded.

Wendy felt hot tears prick at her eyes. "I think we conceived this baby right before he died. It was a cold winter night. The fire was blazing and he and I..."

Wendy let out a little whimper as a particularly rough contraction tore through her middle. The doctor walked in to check on her, interrupting her conversation with Kristin. "How are you doing?" the doctor asked cheerfully as he came to check on his patient.

"I am ready to get this kid out of me," Wendy announced. "NOW!"

"Okay then. It's time to bring this little one into the world," the doctor agreed as he examined Wendy and discovered that she was ready to start pushing. "The baby is ready... whenever you are."

Boy, was she ever ready! She pushed with all her strength, bearing down as she rode through the pain. "That's it, Wendy," Kristin encouraged. "You can do this."

Wendy yelled as she gave it her all. Within a matter of a few pushes, the baby was born. Wendy waited, listening for the sound she did not hear two years ago - the sound of an infant's cry.

The moments seemed like hours as she waited, but then there it was - the blessed sound of newborn. It was like beautiful music to her ears. "Please let me hold my baby," Wendy pleaded.

To her greatest joy, a nurse swaddled the infant and lay the little one in Wendy's arms. "You have a daughter," the nurse announced.

"A daughter," Wendy said as tears slid down her face. They were happy tears with a few bittersweet ones blended in. She had her baby girl, but she didn't have Warren. He'd never see their little miracle.

"Hello there," Wendy said to her daughter.

"Ohhh Wendy, she's beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous..." Kristin gushed. "I think she has my eyes."

Wendy gazed down at her baby girl, then she looked at Kristin. A huge smile lit up Wendy's face. "I think you're right," she said.

"Welcome to the world," Wendy said as she cuddled her sweet baby.

Brian heard the baby's cry and he rushed into the room. "It's a girl," Kristin announced as she looked up at her husband.

"A girl," Brian repeated with happiness. "What are you going to name her?"

"Her name is Winter," Wendy announced. "Winter Kristin Carter."

Now Kristin was crying, too. "You named the baby after me."

"Warren would like that," Wendy said as she planted loving kisses on her baby's cheek. And as Kristin had said before, Wendy could feel her angels there, watching over her and her daughter. She felt a blessed warmth overcome her as it radiated from her every pore and encircled her with love and light.

*Thank you for sending me a miracle,* she whispered to Warren in her mind. She had their daughter earthside while he had their son with him in Heaven.

THE END

 _"In the depth of winter, I found within me there lay an invincible summer." ~ Albert Camus_


End file.
